World Assemble!
by LilyRosetheDreamer
Summary: Tales of the Avengers that may or may not come with a slice of insanity.
1. Chapter 1

World Assemble!

These are my many drabbles and little stories about the Avengers and their many friends! There'll be alternate universes, whacky shenanigans and many action-packed battles! I already have a Doctor Who/Avengers crossover so I am familiar with both fandoms.

Please regard me kindly!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers.

* * *

Arrow in the Knee.

"My god, Clint! How could you do such a thing?"

Hawkeye turned from his target practice to stare at Tony Stark like he had grown five heads in the past five minutes.

"Because…I need to practice to keep up my skills?"

"But look what you've done?" wailed Tony dramatically, running to the dummy and gesturing to the arrow firmly embedded in the knee. "He was a fine warrior until he took an arrow in the knee!"

Clint groaned.

"I knew it was a bad idea to let you play Skyrim as well."

"You don't understand," Tony replied, looking like he was going to cry in sympathy. "How will he slay dragons and pepper spray students now? HIS ACHIEVEMENTS WERE ALL FOR NAUGHT!"

Tony fell to his knees and cried out at the ceiling before hugging the dummy.

"It's okay, buddy! You'll be avenged!"

Clint watched Tony heft the dummy over his shoulder and run away with it, yelling about honouring its soul.

What a weird world he lived in.

* * *

He really didn't think Tony would actually go through with "honouring the fallen adventurer". They were gathered at a random lake somewhere in Ohio, giving a goddamn training dummy a Viking burial! What made things worse was that most of the Avengers were taking this too seriously.

Bruce hung his head as he patted a caterwauling Ironman's shoulder, nodding solemnly at Captain America's riveting speech about warriors and good deaths (what counted as a bad death then?). Thor openly blubbered into a tissue while Loki nudged against him awkwardly. Their eyes met and Loki sidled away towards him, looking utterly relieved to see someone as confused as he was.

"Why are we burying a fake person?" he whispered anxiously as he and Clint stood next to each other. "Was it a person inside that plastic? Was it one of Stark's robots?"

Clint sometimes forgot that the younger brother of Thor was more naïve.

"No, it was one of my training dummies," Clint explained wearily. "It took an arrow in the knee." He added upon seeing Loki's bewildered face.

"Oh, I understood that reference!" Loki beamed, seeming proud of himself.

"Good job, little bud." Clint praised like he was speaking to a five year old.

Loki narrowed his eyes at the tone and then became confused again.

"Isn't this a little…much? And why is he burying it in the way of our people?" he asked, gesturing to a crying Thor, who was now being comforted by a sage Black Widow. Tony threw flowers at the now burning boat.

"So you DO bury your guys like this! I thought it was just the Vikings being weird." Clint shrugged and Loki nodded, tucking a lock of dark hair behind his right ear.

"Either this or we bury them in the ancestral tombs."

"I dunno why he's doing this, Loki. Wanna run?"

Loki sighed.

"Oh good grief, yes!"

The two went straight to the nearest McDonalds for Loki's first milkshake and never spoke of the Skyrim Funeral ever again.

* * *

How was this? I really hope you liked it!

Love Lily. X


	2. Chapter 2

World Assemble!

Hi one and all! Here is my second chapter and it's an errant thought I had upon seeing Loki arrive at the beginning of the Avengers. He looked very ill and this idea was born. Of course, this is AU for a reason.

* * *

Oblivion.

Clint was shocked when the stranger popped out of practically nowhere, that was true.

But he was even more surprised when said stranger promptly collapsed, the odd stick he held in his limp hand clattering to the ground beside him. His black hair appeared matted and dirty and his face shone with clammy sweat. Dark smudges formed rings under his eyes and his body was thin.

In short, he looked terrible.

"Alright buddy, up you come!" Clint grunted as he brought the guy up in a fireman's lift. "And take that thing with you once you've finished up here!" he called over his shoulder to the blinking agents behind him, leaving Nick Fury to glare after him with that one good eye of his.

Truth was, he'd felt a moment of pity for the man. He imagined how annoying it must be to enter a completely different world and not feel well all at once and Clint knew he couldn't just leave him lying there. If he was a threat, at least he would be contained anyway.

Coulson met him halfway to the car.

"So the Tesseract isn't just a shiny cube after all." Phil deadpanned, helping Barton strap the man safely in.

"Yeah, looks like a portal too. Hey Phil, haven't we seen uniform like this before?"

The two male agents exchanged glances.

"Thor." They sighed simultaneously.

* * *

"We're keeping him here?"

Clint and Coulson turned to the Director, who had his hands behind his back as he watched the young male sleep fitfully. Hawkeye placed a hand on the man's head for a moment, feeling unusually protective.

"Until Thor arrives, we are, sir." He answered absentmindedly, feeling the heat through his fingers.

"Well, that had better be soon because we have no idea if this person is safe or not." Fury said curtly. "You have a day to get into contact with Thor."

A day was a challenge, but not impossible, thought Barton with a smirk.

Thor made his presence known a day later, after ceaseless work and phone calls, striding in with Jane Foster tucked by his side. His face dropped the moment he spied the man lying unconscious on one of their medical beds.

"Oh brother…you are alive!" he whispered, letting go of his hammer with a clang and going to kneel at his younger sibling's bedside. "Jane, Son of Coul, Son of Barton, this is my little brother, Loki."

They regarded him warily, knowing that this man had set the Destroyer upon Thor for some unfathomable reason. But there was no anger or annoyance in Thor's expression; instead there lay only relief and tenderness as the Thunder God stroked a stray lock of sweat-stained hair away from a hot face.

"He came from the Tesseract, Thor." Jane spoke up after letting him have a moment with the younger male and Thor's head snapped up.

"What? By the Nine…what has he been through?"

Clint shrugged, stepping over to sit at Loki's right hand side.

"Well, he's here now. Probably a lot safer for him than whatever happened before."

He made no attempt to pry, his face still neutral, but Thor's own craggy face darkened anyway.

"Yes, Son of Barton, I believe you are correct."

A slight stirring under his hand had everyone whipping their heads to peer at the sick God as his eyes parted open a crack. They reeled blindly and Thor pressed a hand to the burning forehead.

"Loki, I'm here."

A faint sigh passed through Loki's lips and his eyes slid shut again, his muscles relaxing a bit. Thor took his upturned hand and a ghost of a smile lit up Loki's face as he struggled to open his eyes to see his older brother.

"No, Loki, go to sleep. You need it." Thor soothed and Loki promptly passed out, clearly more at ease now he had something familiar to anchor him.

This seemed to give Thor the incentive to make the firm decision he needed and he declared that he would be staying here with his brother. Nobody had any objections, as Thor could take Loki back with him once the raven haired god had recovered. Dr Selvig, however, was worried about whether Loki had been affected by the Tesseract in any way. Thor curled a strand of black hair around his thick finger absently as his forehead wrinkled with his frown.

"I have heard that the Tesseract can influence the minds and hearts of the weak. Loki has a mind of iron…but recent events may have affected him. I understand your concerns."

Loki whined fretfully in his sleep and Thor plonked himself in a chair.

"It looks like I will be here for a while, brother, never fear."

* * *

Tired.

Loki couldn't open his eyes because they were weighed down with all the sins and lies he had ever told. He had a mission to do, but his time with the Other and the Chitauri (he would never speak openly about it) seemed to have drained his ability to stand up, let alone take over Midgard. The sensible, sane part of him that they'd locked away deep in his mind cried, not wanting to hurt anyone more than he already had and it was getting louder the longer he was unconscious.

Everything in his brain was scrambled and it was hard to think clearly anymore. So when he'd heard Thor's voice (as though from underwater), instead of feeling anger, he felt utter relief.

His big brother was here.

Everything would be alright now.

* * *

Thor watched his brother struggle to breathe under the smothering fever. Having found out about Loki's heritage meant that certain traits that Loki possessed now made more sense to him than they'd done in the past.

Oh, how he'd failed Loki.

Being an older brother should mean protection, not abandonment. Granted, he hadn't known the youngest prince was alive until his mother practically ran over the guards in her haste to tell Odin and Thor the good tidings, but he really shouldn't have dismissed Loki as dead so quickly. The baby of the family might not be brawny like his father and brother, but he was damn crafty. Thor should have guessed Loki would be alive somehow.

He deliberately avoided imagining what had happened to Loki while he fell and after. The blond had a funny feeling he did NOT want to go there right now, not if he wanted to keep his temper in check.

Yet he couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't quite right with his little brother, not just because he had a fever, but something else ailed him and it annoyed him to no end trying to work it out.

"Hey."

Thor turned to see Jane holding a mug in cupped hands, smiling down at him.

"I brought coffee around – thought you might need it."

The Asgardian grinned as he extracted the cup from her grip and cradled it in two huge hands. He had missed Midgardian coffee and he had missed Jane most of all. Now he could work on furthering their relationship while he was tending to Loki and maybe he could even introduce her once Loki was lucid. He was certain they would get along, despite what the smaller Asgardian had said before.

"Thank you, my lady. It is most appreciated."

Jane sat next to him and took his big hand.

"He'll be okay."

"I know. Loki is strong – stronger than many others knew."

Jane didn't ask about the upset look on Thor's face, as if he were disappointed in himself and they remained by Loki's side for the rest of the afternoon.

It was around midnight when it all changed again.

Thor and Clint were woken by Loki's convulsions and were at his side in seconds.

"Loki, Loki, can you hear me?" Clint called, trying to remain calm as he caught the ill Asgardian's wrist and Thor hushed him with no results.

Verdant eyes wheeled violently, not seeing the world around him as his back arched off the bed.

"Brother! _Brother_!" Thor called out to him; terror in his heart, for Loki had a look he never wanted to see on his little brother's face ever again.

* * *

And that's part one. I'll hopefully get the other part up at some stage.

Love Lily. X


	3. Chapter 3

World Assemble!

This is something I posted on Tumblr and the Thor section of FF. Please enjoy!

* * *

The Old Man and the God.

Loki dusted himself down a little as he gathered his bearings. He hadn't been back to Earth for years, not since the Battle of New York.

In many ways, he had shied away from such a comeback, guilt and cowardice burning in his veins like an icy fire, and in the end, he'd been perfectly happy to stay on Asgard where he could forget and live.

Well, he THOUGHT that he could forget.

Living too long did have its disadvantages.

In the end, the memories invaded his everyday living and he had to go back, just for one last time, just to make sure the mortals had moved on, COULD move on, with no lasting trauma from the event. With finality, he gazed around at his new surroundings and almost laughed with the irony of it all.

Stuttgart. Of all the places the Bifrost had to have plonked him down, it was Stuttgart.

Heimdall had a sadistic streak in him that was to be noted.

With a small sigh, he made sure his mortal clothing was in place before quietly stepping out from the alleyway into the sun. He didn't know what he expected, but people obliviously walking by wasn't one of them. He wasn't sure if he expected them all to scream and throw things at him, to be honest. He might as well take advantage of this temporary peace. Deciding to order from the café across the road, he carefully crossed and hesitated at the door. In the end, he steeled himself and opened the door steadily, the little bell ringing to announce his entrance.

Not quite as dramatic as his entrance years ago.

The waitress at the counter looked just like every person had so far, insular and unaware of his actual identity.

"Can I get anything for you today?" she asked, trying to keep her voice pleasant but not having the heart for it.

For a second, he paused, unsure of whether to bother her after all, when a voice that sounded so familiar cut in for him.

"We'll have two coffees to go, please."

Bewildered, Loki glanced over to see an old man leaning on a walking stick and wearing a tan raincoat. His eyes pierced through him like he knew him well and Loki felt disconcerted. He reached into his wallet to pay and the man stopped him.

"No, no, I have this one. We have a lot to talk about, you and I."

It was a worn, but warm voice, a voice that had known pain and sorrow, but also joy and beauty and Loki found himself drawn in.

"Alright…thank you."

When they were back outside, the old man led him down to the park, where they sat at a table with chess pieces on it. For a while, the man said nothing further, sipping at his coffee like he had all the time in the world. Perhaps in his old age, he did now.

"I remember you, in case you were wondering."

Loki raised his dark head to peer at his sudden companion.

"I am not sure what I should be wondering about you." he replied honestly, an apparently rare feat for him.

"Yes, I did notice," stated the other. "Your kind never do remember the faces they oppressed in the end. You see us, but yet you don't. All you see is an obstacle in the way of your goal."

His voice was mild, but it sent a chill down Loki's spine.

"Do I know you?" he questioned, unable to repress himself for a moment longer and the man smiled sadly.

"Stuttgart, two thousand and twelve. I told you that you weren't the only one to be a tyrant."

The flash of realisation smacked him full force in the chest, leaving him breathless.

"I…I…"

A wrinkled hand found his suddenly trembling shoulder.

"Ah, it's alright, lad. Like I said, your kind never remember us in the end. We blur together an awful lot, don't we?"

Loki nodded, shocked that this man could understand.

"My name isn't really important anymore," he continued, when Loki had recovered. "You don't need to know it and you won't remember, not in the end. Too many other things from your past will find you instead."

Placing down his cardboard cup, he gestured to the board.

"You play?"

Loki ran his fingers along the rim of his cup, his eyes keenly taking in the pieces.

"Yes."

Without a word, the man arranged his neatly and put out the first piece.

"Do you remember what else I told you?"

The Asgardian pushed out a pawn and considered carefully.

"Little. I think you mentioned having experience of…my kind."

"Oh aye, lad. Long ago, a man just like you thought he was saving the world too. He rose to power in a crafty manner, through politics and schemes. By the time we realised the threat, he was already the country's most powerful man and too heavily protected by brothers and sisters of the same mind set."

He stopped briefly to move a knight and take a drink before carrying on, Loki spell bound by his story.

"He wasn't a monster, not really. He genuinely believed he was helping his people and the world beyond them. Unfortunately that involved…well, it involved mass genocide really."

A jolt of empathy and ice rose in his chest as Loki pushed another pawn along with his index finger, his effort paltry. His mind wandered to Jotunheim.

"My people were targeted as unnecessary, evil and the usurpers in a world full of Aryans and kings. Jews were seen as greedy, the takers of gold in just a few months, the propaganda infecting the minds of friendly people in a way I have never seen before or since…"

The man trailed off for a bit, his pale blue eyes seeing the past Loki never could. And from the sinking feeling in his chest, he never wanted to. As the man took his rook with a crinkling of his crow's feet, he licked his lips and continued;

"Those that fled while they still could took the opportunity straight away, terrified of the consequences if they didn't. There were those, however, that still held hope for the country they adored. I was one of those so-called fools," he chuckled mirthlessly, looking Loki dead in his wide green eyes as he let his bishop be taken from the black and white board. "I never wanted to leave the country that my mother sang for, that my father worked for until he bled physically and emotionally. I wanted to raise my children in Germany with all the love I was taught. Sometimes I lost hope that it would ever come into fruition."

The Jotun stared, letting the left rook be snatched without realising.

"Then it all went to hell. We were rounded up as far as Poland and herded away like cattle into camps of death, where children were ripped from pleading mothers and men sobbed like the day they were born with no shame. If the gas didn't get you, disease did."

Loki wasn't playing anymore, his emerald orbs fully focused on the haunted expression on the mortal's face. He had seen more than most mortals and that said a lot for this world.

"Many died playing the game of survival, but many more of us lived to continue the dance of life. A blessing from the Lord himself, who perhaps wept at our loss and suffering." Here his face hardened slightly. "I never stopped believing in Him, for what would there be to live for otherwise? If you had no faith…you died, simple as that."

He shifted in his seat.

"Would you condone a man that left us to be forgotten - to rot and bleed?"

Loki's answer was quick, escaping before his brain fully caught up.

"No."

The breeze filled the heavy silence while the elderly gentleman contemplated the seemingly young man in front of him.

"And therein lies the difference between you and that dictator - for now. But be honest, you were going down that path that day, weren't you? You saw us as people to be admonished, to be punished for human nature."

Loki felt the irrational need to defend himself.

"You have no idea of what I have seen."

"And you have no idea of what I'VE seen," countered the other player. "But I'm not trying to kill you and take over the world now, am I?"

The second prince had no answer for that.

"If you're strong enough, you won't let your life be the making of you. Sure, you'll get pushed down all the time, but staying true to yourself takes courage and skill."

The old man abruptly stood and Loki along with him, following like a lamb with its mother.

"I know you. You're not human in one sense. I bet we gave you a bit of a shock, didn't we? Sticking up for ourselves against an alien."

A tiny smile graced his lips.

"You are very resourceful creatures."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." the elderly male laughed, straightening his shirt collar. Shrewd eyes locked on to his face as he dropped the cup into the appropriate bin. "You're not like that blond one. You have a strong mind and you should use it properly."

The suited Asgardian tilted his head.

"I watched you that day, in New York. There was enough footage for me to observe. You had no conviction in your doings and it gave me hope for you. It gave me hope that you wouldn't die alone like he did. He may have had his wife and dog, but he was alone in that bunker. He went out with a whimper when he appeared with a boom that shook the foundations of our world."

He shook his grey head, eyes travelling up into the sky.

"Makes me wonder where he went in the end."

He turned around to meet Loki face to face and reached out a hand.

"Well then, this is it, I guess. By the time you come around again, I'll be long gone." He pointed to Loki's head. "On Earth and in there. It's been nice seeing you again. You look better."

Loki was startled to find tears in his eyes. He didn't want to end it like this.

"Will you not tell me your name?" he pleaded and the old man appeared surprised.

"You don't want to know the name of a silly old man like me," he whispered. "Like I said, your kind don't put names to faces."

Loki drew himself up and looked him squarely in the eye.

"Try me, old friend." he answered firmly.

With a wobbly smile, the old man leant in and whispered it into his ear, taking his hand and shaking it tightly as he did so. The gift passed from one to another and Loki broke out into a grin.

"It suits you."

"As does yours, Loki."

And the old man walked away from the equally amused god, having known his name all along.

* * *

Years later, Loki quietly attended the funeral of an old friend. Nobody came or remembered the old man who refused to kneel in front of an obsolete god, but Loki knelt by the tombstone and gently murmured the name of a man who watched others go by in flashes of time.

It was funny how much one person can recall when faced with the truth.

* * *

I'll post the sequel to this later. It had a pretty good reception on Tumblr, so I hope you enjoy it!

Love Lily. X


	4. Chapter 4

World Assemble!

Here is the sequel to The Old Man and the God that is also up on Tumblr. More thoughts of mine.

* * *

The God and the Little Boy.

Sometimes, when Loki visited the grave of his old friend, he would stumble upon a little boy sitting by a grave adjacent to it. There would be no tears or words from the child - he would just sit with one hand upon the smooth grey marble, perhaps silently communicating with the departed one instead. No conversation passed between the living visitors either, for they both respected each other's need for privacy, but Loki's curiosity about the little boy burned stronger with each encounter.

It was on a cloudy day, when Loki had fought viciously with Thor like he had not done for a long time, that Loki visited the old man again.

"Hello…"

As usual, there was no physical response, but Loki imagined the old man smiling patiently anyway. Rustling alerted him to the presence of the boy, prone and knelt as always. A light breeze blew into the cemetery, bringing with it a sense of calm and serenity for a brief time in their complicated lives.

"Hello."

Surprised, Loki turned to face the little boy with big brown eyes that stared up at him with the same curiosity he himself felt.

"Good day." he replied evenly.

"You're here a lot, aren't you?"

"I suppose I am, yes."

The two living souls remained quiet for a while, both paying their respects to the dead. Then the boy patted his grave.

"Who are you visiting today, Mister?"

The green eyed man found himself smiling a little.

"A very old friend of mine, who I think knew me better than I know myself." he murmured, sorting the flowers he'd grown from his mother's garden into a neat little vase that reflected the simple personality of the long gone man. "What about you, little one?"

The curious light that had been in his eyes like the earth hollowed out and he turned back to the grave.

"My mom."

Pity stirred in his breast and Loki shuffled a bit closer to the oak-haired child. His mother was the most important person in his life, despite everything, and he could not imagine losing her so young, to have been without her kisses and lullabies.

"Forgive me, for I am a curious person, but could you tell me about her?"

The boy broke out into a grin and came over to him, leaving the grave to gleam in the sudden burst of sunlight.

"Nobody ever really asks about her because I don't think they're interested. But yeah, I'll tell you!"

He sat down on the damp grass, crossing his short legs and pointed at the area in front of him.

"Sit down, Mister!"

And so Loki did, to be regaled with many stories of what the boy could remember about his kind, hardworking mother, who had raised him alone when his father wouldn't and held down two jobs at once.

"One time," he continued, breaking up a strip of grass and crushing it in between his stubby fingers. "I got bullied at school and she went round to their parent's house to tell on them! She wasn't scared of what would happen like me."

Loki smiled softly.

"Mothers are brave, are they not?"

The boy looked up; his eyes showing all the emotions a human could have at once.

"You really get me, you know that?"

Like a whisper in the Void, Loki sighed.

"Many experiences have passed me by, child."

The trees rattled steadily, so sure in their role. He wished he could be a strong tree, knowing of his place and supporting others without question, for there would lay a peace he had never known. The Asgardian hoped for the child to know that peace as well. A sniff recaptured his attention, a thread being caught in slender fingers and pulled in.

"I really miss her."

"I'm sure you do." he said gently to the two tears running down a chubby cheek.

There was no reassurance that she was in a better place because that never helped when you missed the dearly departed - they weren't there NOW and you couldn't physically touch them. Loki always got frustrated when people said such things and he imagined that the boy did too. When you only wanted comfort and understanding, it hurt badly when people brushed you aside in the presence of their busy schedules.

"Do you miss your friend?"

Sunshine through autumn leaves glanced shyly up at his face, awaiting his answer and the prince gave a nod in return. The boy stood, his back clicking for a second and he wandered over to his mother's grave again.

"I forgot to bring flowers to you today, Mommy, but I'll get them next time, I swear."

Loki remained where he was, watching the boy wrap his arms fully around the stone and hug tightly, as if his mother was there and smiling in all her warmth in that moment.

"I'll see you soon."

The boy wiped his face and began to walk away, boots tromping in the dirt and Loki answered with nothing in return. Then there was a pause and the boy swivelled.

"What's your name, Mister?"

"Loki."

"I think Mommy would like you an awful lot. She died when those scary aliens came, you know."

The revelation came as a swipe of a sword through the gut and the Asgardian royal forgot how to breathe. Was this all that life would be…reminders of his sins? All he could see in those innocent eyes was New York scorched black.

"But I think you would protect her, 'cause you're really nice."

He beamed, a treasure with a pointed barb and the man struggled within himself, guilt and grief all in one.

"I like you and we should play together sometime. My name's Karl."

Karl swept out of the graveyard at the striking of the clock and left a broken toy behind without ever meaning to.

Loki didn't move for a long time. Then he pulled himself to his knees and drew his wide eyes to his gravestone.

"It happened again, friend. You were right about my past catching me." he gasped with a breathless laugh of no joy. "And now I will never be able to see anything but her death in his face."

He put his face in his hands and leant against his friend because his spine had failed him. It took an hour for him to recover and when he did, he plucked a single lily from the bunch he had bought and placed it reverently on hers.

"I am sorry you lost your chance."

The Bifrost took him and his presence was a ghost lost in time. In the quiet of the coming evening, a woman laughed amongst bells and light.

* * *

Alright, I hope you all liked it!

Love Lily. X


End file.
